PS – those credit score breakouts should be “between 600-750″, not “600-650″

We keep losing power today and I was trying to type this out for the second time before I lost it again. Got going too fast. But I just double-checked the rest of my numbers and they’re all what they should be. Also keep in mind that debt-to-income ratios have probably gotten more restrictive since the financial nightmare of the last few years. Lenders who were anxious to lend in my day, are now working from the “once burned twice shy” position. So those ratios might have changed. But the general principle still stands – anything that potentially boosts your debt payments per month is a bad thing. Anything that cuts your debt payments AND increases your savings (ie, your safety net) is a good thing. Focus on those two latter items, and forget the credit card. It won’t help you, and may actually hold you back.